Supers and Allies?

[smurf]

I was trying to create a sort of Iron Man character, mainly as an NPC but there is no reason why a PC would want to do something similar.

Allies can be a 150% of Max cost.

Therefore is it ok to make a 1000pt character with a 1000pt Ally that is a robot/battlesuit?

Or would it be better to create a 600pt character with a 900pt Ally etc.

From powers it would be "Summon-able" and should either cost 5pts x3 15 or less for 1000pts that equals 30pts. Or the 900pt version would be 60pts. Yes these equations look broken but they are RAW.

[Refplace]

Its certainly within the rules, but many find it pretty abusive as its a very effective point leverage.

[ericthered]

We had a discussion about this just last month.


My take is usually to direct players to signature gear, or a variant of equipment as allies that focuses on equipment rather than points. Like "The captain's boat" from pyramid 3/76. I dislike the point method, though it can become more appropriate if its an alien symbiote or something... but even then I like to buy the symbiote as a parasite that drives the thing rather than the thing itself, and buy the suit/vehicle as a machine.

[Phantasm]

I prefer to build symbiotes and battlesuits as Alternate Forms rather than as Allies.

For a battlesuit example, Jarvis and later Friday would be the AI Allies who assist Tony in managing the suit rather than the suit itself; the suit would be an Alternate Form of Tony's (with Projection and Selectivity as options for the Mark 42 in the MCU).

A Venom style symbiote could probably go either way, though, depending on time frame. Depends on if the symbiote maintains a personality separate from and can consciously go against the host (say, leaving Eddie in an attempt to go back to Pete) or if the two merge to become someone new with personality traits from both. In the case of the symbiote maintaining a personality and conversing with the host, if the host is the one in control then the symbiote's personality is likely a "Spirit"/"AI" type Ally.

tl;dr: "Depends on if the Ally is the one in complete control of the powers."

[AlexanderHowl]

A 1,000 CP super can spend 90 CP on the ability to summon 1,500 deities though. The build would be Ally (150%; 15-; Minion, +50%; Reliable+10, +50%; Summonable, +100%). Reliable modifies the reaction roll of each new deity, as does any applicable talent, while Minion forces a new deity to do your bidding (the results of the reaction roll determines how closely to the spirit of your orders that they act when following the letter of your orders).

For example, a disastrous reaction roll would mean that the deity would tell everyone that you were responsible for their actions and then come back to explain their displeasure with you at length when you finally let them go. A guaranteed +10 reaction means that you just suffer a neutral reaction at worst under normal circumstances. Conversely, an excellent reaction might result in a minor boon from the deity, unasked for information, or a new divine partner.

[smurf]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Its certainly within the rules, but many find it pretty abusive as its a very effective point leverage.

I think the best way is to do 700pts with a 1000pt ally. Of course what could be worse is the suit 1000pts has a dependent in Tony... now that's abuse.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by smurf

I was trying to create a sort of Iron Man character, mainly as an NPC but there is no reason why a PC would want to do something similar.

Allies can be a 150% of Max cost.

Therefore is it ok to make a 1000pt character with a 1000pt Ally that is a robot/battlesuit?
W.

It`s allowed by the rules. But there are a lot of things allowed by the rules that aren`t actually OK for specific settings. For example if your superheroes are a sentai team it`s fine to have 150% robot allies. It`s part of the premise for the campaign and you can only use giant robots in restricted circumstances. Similarly if you have a supercar you can pretty much only use it outdoors. As a GM I would require a human sized wearable suit to be bought as a gadget.

[Anaraxes]

I'm in the Alternate Form camp (when the battlesuit is so special-tech-awesome it's not just equipment, as with Iron Man). Is "donning my battlesuit" (especially when it conveniently folds up into a suitcase, just happens to fly up on command, or comes out of nanotech-fluff pocket dimensions) really that different game-wise from changing into a werewolf-cum-combat-form?

I prefer to reserve Allies for actual sentient beings of independent will and motivations -- which, recall, are designed by the GM and not the player, and so aren't just a pile of points for combat abilities.

[Gnome]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

I prefer to reserve Allies for actual sentient beings of independent will and motivations -- which, recall, are designed by the GM and not the player, and so aren't just a pile of points for combat abilities.

This is so important. The GM builds and plays Allies. I’ve had players who insist that their Allies must advance in certain ways or do certain things, and I have to remind them—it’s not your character, it’s my character! He just happens to be your friend.
I generally am not a fan of IQ0 Allies, because the GM loses the leeway to give the Ally a mind of its own. Allies are usually a point crock if the player gets to design the Ally to be optimized for his PC and choose it’s actions. The PC buys the Ally ability (with GM permission of course—only under very rare circumstances would I allow a 150% Ally who has the potential to outshine PCs), but the GM builds the Ally to fit the world, the story, game balance, etc. depending on the type of game, and when the Ally appears, the GM chooses what it does. It acts in the PC’s best interest as the Ally sees it, but it should also have basic self-preservation instincts, its own opinions on what constitutes the PC’s best interest, etc.

[smurf]

The idea was for the character to control an IQ6 Robot that it can wear as a battle suit. The robot can only follow orders. It also takes time for the robot to appear but it can move fast. However, if a PC decides on it there has to be a way they can hide this suit of armour for it to appear.

And no, the robot cannot fold down into a suitcase or be carried on a back pack. I suppose this is the mix between Stark tech and Appleseed.